Mailbox including spring urged door



F. M. CUPLIN 2,646,214

MAILBOX, INCLUDING SPRING URGED DOOR July 21, 1953 Filed April 27, 1951 Frank M. Cup/in INVENTOR.

BY W

'Patented July'2l, 1 9 53 IL ox'iNotUnrNG SPRINGURGED noon, FrankCuplin, Crowley, Lac. 7 Application April 27, 1951, Serial No; 223,233

This invention relates to new *and useful ir'n zo'ntal pivot 26,-to permit vertical'swinging move mentor the door to its open'and closed positions ,provements in mailboxes and the primaryobject' of the present invention is to provide a mail box including-a vertically iswingable door that: is

, spring urged to its closed position when released from its open-position. j

Another important object:of the present inventionisto provide'a mailboxin which the spring urging the door to its closed position-is concealed E and shielded'beneath the'bottom wall of the mail boxzi'" v A further object of the present invention isto .provide a mail box having a'closure' with a sealing flange that will overlap the body of the box aaginst rain, snow or thelike. l

A still further aimof the'present invention is to provide a mail box of theaforementioned char; acter that is freeof sharp edges and whichis simple andpractical in structure, inexpensive to manufacture, and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside'in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming parthereof, wherein like numerals referto like parts throughout, and in whichy I Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the present invention; p

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure3 is a horizontal sectional view taken.

substantially on the plane of section line 3+3rof Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of Figure 1-; and,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary front elevational' view of Figure 1- showing the closure in its open position and the mannerin which the closure is re-- tained in its open position.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration, there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the present invention,

the numeral l 0 represents the mail box including a casing l2 whose side walls are secured by rivets or the like to the depending side flanges M of a bottom :Wall I6. I x

The casing I2 is formed with a forward openarch end one-half of the forward edge of which is turned inwardly to form a flange 18. The other half of thef-orward. edge of the open end is rolled inwardly upon itself to form a beading 20. V

at one end to shield articles placed in'the box The 'door'-22 is formed-with a sealing flange :28

that will overlapthe forward end of the casing when the door" is in its'closed positionwith-its unflanged portion disposed behind-and under theiv flangel8.

7 Means is provided for: urging the'fidoorgto its'c'x closed position..i'This meansr-comprisesr'a coils "spring 30 whose forward hoolzsendu'i'?extends through an "aperturein thedoor adiacentwtlier pivot 26. The rear hook. end 34 of the spring 30 extends through registering'apertures in one side flange I4 of the bottom wall I6 and one side wall of the casing Ill.

- extended as the door 22 is swung downwardly to its open position. 1

, A resilientholding tongue 36 is struck from the flange 24 remote from the pivot 26. The door 22 will engage under this tongue 36 to be retained in its open position until the dooris manually moved over the tongue whereupon the spring will urge the door to, its closed position.

The upper portion of the casing l2 supports a forwardly extending L-shaped spring member 38 having a channel 40 that will receive the rib 42 on the web of a U-shaped member secured to the door 22 to yieldingly retain the door in its closed position. v p

A compressible spacer or washer 46 is disposed on the pivot 26 between the door-22 and flange 24 and permitssufiicient play in the door for the door to engage under the tongue 36 and'the flange 28 to clear the corner of the casing.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is: p 1

1. A mail box comprising an elongated horizontally disposed casing having a forward open end and a bottom wall, a door having a lower corner pivoted to the bottom wall for vertical swinging movement in a plane perpendicular to the horizontal. axis of the casing toward and away from the open end of the casing to selectively cover and uncover the opening, a spring connecting the door 7 to the bottom wall and yieldingly retaining the The mail box is provided with a door or closure A 22 whose lowerleft hand corner is secured to the forward flange 24 of thebottom Wall [6 by a horidoor against the :open end of said casing, interconnecting means between the door and the easingfor holding thedoor in itsclosed position, and

-a holding tongue on the bottom wall at the open end of the casing for engaging and holding the door in its open position.

2. A mail box comprising an elongated horizontally disposed casing having a forward open end and a bottom wall, a 'door for the open end of The spring '30 is disposed be- I neath the'bottom Wa l I6 and 'extends'across one corner of the bottom wall 16 to be expanded or for the open end of the casing having a lower pivot securing the lower corner of the door to one corner, a horizontal pivot securing the lower corner of said door to said casing and an elongated-p1 spring having a forward end attached adjacent the lower corner of the door and a rear end's'ecured to the casing and inclined-relative toeithe door, said spring being expanded as the door moved about its pivot to an open position;

4. A mail box comprising a casing having an elongated bottom wall including a' depending flange, said casing having'anopen forward end,

a door for the open end of the casing including-a lower corner, a horizontal pivot securing the lower corner of the door to the flange at the forward end ofthe casing, an elongated horizontally;disposed spring disposed diagonally across one corsaid spring being extended as the door is moved about its pivot to an open position.

5. The combination of claim 4 and a sealing flange on said door overlapping the forward end of the casing when the door is in its closed position.

6. A mail box comprising a casing having a forward open end and a bottom wall including a n in fl n e at the Jenna/1dr the r s and extending'tr'ansversely of the" casing, a door for the open end of the casing and including a lower corner and a sealing flange, a horizontal end of the depending-flange, a tongue struck outwardly and forwardly from the depending flange 1 at-the e'nd thereof remote from the pivot for engaging thedoor to retain the latter in its open position, and a spring underlying the bottom wall "and terminally secured to the bottom wall and the door for yieldingly urging the door to its closed position with the sealing flange overlapping the openend of the casing.

e FRANK M. CUPLIN;

References Cited in the file of this patent f Evans Qct. 10, 1933 

